AN ACT Relating to providing assistance to communities impacted by large employment losses; adding new sections to chapter 43.88 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 41.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 39.26 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:

(1) "Eligible area" means a rural county that has experienced employment growth of two and one-half percent or less in the prior calendar year that experiences a permanent plant closing or permanent mass layoff by an employer subject to the federal worker adjustment and retraining notification act resulting in an employment loss for twenty or more workers.

(2) "Impacted worker" means any individual:

(a) Who has been terminated or received a notice of termination of employment as a result of a plant closure or permanent reduction of operations at the individual's place of employment;

(b) Who is eligible for unemployment compensation benefits; and

(c) Whose place of employment was with an employer subject to the federal worker adjustment and retraining notification act and located in an eligible area.

(3) "Rural county" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.14.370.

(4) The employment security department shall designate which counties and individuals are eligible areas and impacted workers for purposes of sections 2, 3, and 4 of this act. Designation as an eligible area and impacted worker expires one year from the date of designation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:

Beginning with the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, when distributing capital funds through competitive programs for environmental, community, cultural, infrastructure, and economic development projects, all state agencies must consider whether the entity or project receiving the funds is located in an impacted area as defined in section 1 of this act. A preference or factor should be provided to influence selection of projects for funding in impact areas. For purposes of this section, capital funds does not include funding through the omnibus transportation appropriations act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 41.04 RCW to read as follows:

(1) In all competitive examinations to determine the qualifications of applicants for public offices, positions, or employment with the state, the state employer shall give a scoring criteria status to all impacted workers as defined in section 1 of this act, by adding to the passing mark, grade, or rating only, based upon a possible rating of one hundred points as perfect a percentage, five percent. The percentage shall be added to the passing mark, grade, or rating of competitive examinations for the period in which the individual meets the definition of an impacted worker under section 1 of this act.

(2) The intent of this section is to provide a comparable preference to impacted workers as provided to veterans of the armed forces as defined in RCW 41.04.005. The office of financial management may adopt rules to implement this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 39.26 RCW to read as follows:

(1) State agencies are encouraged to award procurement contracts under this chapter to businesses who hire impacted workers as defined by section 1 of this act.

(2) The director must adopt rules to provide a preference for the award of state agency procurements to businesses that hire impacted workers as defined by section 1 of this act. The preference must apply to procurements contracts that are exempt from competitive bidding requirements. The director may adopt rules to provide a preference in competitive procurements only to the extent that such an in-state preference does not cause a discriminatory effect against Washington vendors that do business outside the state.

(3) The director, in consultation with the employment security department, shall develop a database of impacted workers that potential bidders may access to meet the criteria developed for the preferences created in this section.

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